Mini-review: Galaxy S5 Active doesn’t add enough to be worth buying

The regular S5 already has most of this rugged phone's best features.

Enlarge / The Galaxy S5 Active isn't a bad phone, but it's not different enough from the regular S5.

Andrew Cunningham

Every new Samsung flagship is quickly followed by a shotgun blast of variants, in keeping with Samsung's "flood the market" hardware development strategy. Develop a flagship phone to appeal to most people (this year, the Galaxy S5), and then follow it with similar-but-distinct phones to fill every possible niche.

Further Reading

Review: Samsung tries to do too much, neglects to finetune design and software for users.

Enter the Galaxy S5 Active. We liked the Galaxy S4 Active when we reviewed it last year, mostly because it added some much-needed sturdiness to Samsung's slippery plastic and because it was waterproofed. While it had most of the same speedy internals of the S4, it also used an LCD display panel instead of AMOLED, a nice option for people who don't care for the latter screen technology. In short, the S4 Active was different enough from the vanilla S4 to be worth a look, but not so different that it lacked all the S4's most appealing features (a problem with variants like the S4 Mini).

But the Galaxy S5 is already waterproof. Its back already moves away from the smooth, slidey plastic of older Galaxy phones. AMOLED screen technology has improved to the point where it's not really any worse in direct sunlight than an LCD screen (and the S5 Active includes the same 1080p AMOLED display as the regular S5, anyway). Is this year's Active variant still worth a look, or will most people be better served by the standard S5?

What's the same?

Andrew Cunningham

The Galaxy S5 Active (center) is closer in size to the largish HTC One M8 (right) than the Nexus 5 (left).

Andrew Cunningham

The Galaxy S5 Active (center) is closer in size to the largish HTC One M8 (right) than the Nexus 5 (left).

Andrew Cunningham

The bumpers around the edge are the main selling point.

Specs at a glance: Samsung Galaxy S5 Active

Screen

1920×1080 5.1"(432 ppi) AMOLED

OS

Android KitKat 4.4.2 with Touchwiz

CPU

2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801

RAM

2GB

GPU

Adreno 330

Storage

16GB with MicroSD slot

Networking

Dual-band, two-stream 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS

Ports

Micro USB 2.0, headphones

Camera

16MP rear camera with Phase Detection AF, 2MP front camera,

Size

5.72" x 2.89" x 0.35" (145.3mm x 73.4mm x 8.9mm)

Weight

6 ounces (170.1g)

Battery

2800 mAh

Starting price

$200 on contract, $660 unlocked

Other perks

RBG notification LED, IrLED, NFC

The S5 Active is substantially the same phone as the regular S5. It's got the same 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC, the same 2GB of RAM, the same 2,800mAh removable battery and SD card slot, the same two-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity options, the same 1080p AMOLED display, the same 16MP front and 2MP rear cameras, the same build of Android 4.4.2 with the same flatter, less-offensive TouchWiz skin laid over top, and even the same semi-accurate, not-all-that-useful heart rate sensor on the back (whew).

For all benchmarks, battery life tests, sample photos, and other spec-related observations, I'll point you to our review of the regular S5. The short version is that the phone consistently ties or beats its other $199-with-contract peers in performance, and it lasts for nearly 11 hours in our Wi-Fi browsing test. We've reprinted a few charts from that review below; a few spot checks confirms that the S5 Active should perform identically in all circumstances.

What changes?

One small difference is that the S5 Active's three buttons are all physical, rather than the mix of physical and capacitive buttons you get in the regular S5. The Home button in the Active is missing the fingerprint scanner from the regular S5, but it's the only major feature you're missing.

The phone's main attraction is its thicker, sturdier, more robust casing. Like the vanilla S5, it's dustproof and waterproof when submerged in up to three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. The thicker case makes it "shock-resistant when dropped from four feet onto a flat surface," according to AT&T's product page. The S5 Active is all-matte plastic on the back and sides, and the corners of the phone in particular are larger and reinforced with small bumpers that should help keep the inside protected. The top, bottom, and side edges of the phone are covered with small divots that make the phone a bit easier to grip—it actually feels better to hold than the standard S5 despite the increase in size.

Enlarge/ The S5 Active is waterproof and dust-proof... but so is the regular S5.

Andrew Cunningham

Also gone is the bumpy Band-Aid back from the original S5, replaced by a flat, matte plastic panel. Pry up that panel and you'll reveal the phone's SD card slot, SIM tray, and battery, and on the back side you'll see the small rubber ring that protects all of those components from water when the phone is submerged (a plastic-and-rubber stopper over the USB 2.0 port on the bottom also protects the innards from liquid—there's no USB 3.0 here, another small change from the regular S5).

The S5 Active is only available in three colors, and while the back is removable it can't work with back covers designed for the original S5. Our review loaner is the "Camo Green" version, and the camouflage pattern is frankly a bit too faux-macho for my taste. Both "Titanium Gray" and "Ruby Red" are more reserved.

The last trade-off you make to get that sturdier chassis is that the phone is larger, thicker, and heavier than the vanilla S5. It's an extra 25g heavier, about a millimeter thicker, one millimeter wider, and three millimeters taller. The original S5 is a little smaller and lighter than the HTC One M8, and the S5 Active is a little larger and heavier (though the grippy S5 Active is easier to hold onto than the smooth M8).

Also, we dropped it on the floor a few times from roughly chest height. It was no worse for the wear. We wouldn't go throwing it against the wall on purpose but the bumpers seem to be doing their job.

Just not different enough

Enlarge/ Buy the S5 Active if it appeals to you, but the regular S5 is going to be just fine for most people.

Andrew Cunningham

Ultimately, the biggest problem with the S5 Active is that it's no longer different enough than the regular S5 to be worth considering. The vanilla phone is going to be compatible with a wider range of accessories, and you've got your choice of carrier since the S5 is available essentially everywhere from everyone. Like the S4 Active before it, the S5 Active is AT&T-only.

Given the similarities between the S5 Active and the vanilla S5, for most people we'd recommend getting the standard edition of the phone and putting it in a case if you want extra protection. The good thing about having a separate case is that if you drop the phone, the case absorbs the damage while leaving the phone underneath relatively undamaged—in the long run, this will be good for extending the useful life of your phone and increasing its resale value. That's not true when your phone is your case.

The good

Sturdy casing that's actually pretty nice to hold.

Most of the good stuff from the S5, including the bright colorful screen and the fast internals.

The bad

Lacks fingerprint scanner and USB 3.0 port. Neither is the vanilla S5's best feature, so the loss isn't debilitating.

"Camo green" is not our color.

The ugly

Andrew Cunningham / Andrew has a B.A. in Classics from Kenyon College and has over five years of experience in IT. His work has appeared on Charge Shot!!! and AnandTech, and he records a weekly book podcast called Overdue.